Basciani Foods is a mushroom specialist in the foodservice industry
The PMA Foodservice Conference and Expo is the perfect place for Basciani Foods Inc., headquartered in Avondale, PA, to “strut its mushroom stuff.” The company is a leading player in supplying fresh mushrooms to the foodservice industry.
General Manager, Fred Recchiuti, said, “Ninety-percent of our business is in the foodservice industry.
“Basciani Foods does everything,” he continued. “We grow all sizes of white mushrooms and exotic mushrooms, pack for national retail grocery store chains as well as for foodservice distributors, and we have processing and storage facilities in Chicago and Minneapolis.”
Basciani Foods will exhibit at the PMA Foodservice Conference and Expo on July 28-30 in Monterey, CA, at Booth No. 1302.
In addition to other company executives, there to meet and greet with visitors will be Michael Basciani, managing owner; John Basciani, head of sales and logistics; Michael Gagel, field representative; and sales and logistics team members Ed Casel and Joseph Basciani.
Visitors to the event can find out more about Basciani Foods’ full product line, its logistics operations, sustainability initiatives and its growing company and personal family.
Michael Basciani and Mario Basciani of Basciani Foods Inc.He said company executives and team members are mutually excited about cutting the ribbon on the first six of 48 planned new aluminum mushroom growing facilities.
The company, Recchiuti explained, ships over a million pounds of mushrooms per week.
One of the major milestones in the company’s four-generation history of operations was in 1970, when it, along with other investors, bought The Mushroom Canning Co. Later, the company’s name was changed to The Mushroom Co. In 2003, as a result of providing excellent products and customer service, it was relocated from Kennett Square, PA, to a new facility in Cambridge, MD. The new facility is three times larger, enabling it to grow with its customers.
The primary purpose for the purchase was to control an outlet for secondary product. This enables Basciani Foods to provide its customers who buy fresh mushrooms with the highest quality prime products on the market.
“In addition to featuring our full line of fresh mushrooms for the foodservice industry, we will be promoting our cross dock and transportation services in Avondale, Orlando, FL, Independence, LA, and Minneapolis, MN,” Recchiuti pointed out.
“After nine long years in the land development process to obtain the necessary permits, Basciani Foods finally cut the ribbon on the first six facilities,” said Recchiuti. “We are now poised to serve the expanding mushroom needs of foodservice and Blenditarians alike.”
Basciani Foods is also a strong proponent and supporter of the Blend initiatives currently spreading across the country, including the Blenditarian project.
The Blenditarian movement defines a participant as “One who believes that the mighty mushroom has meaty powers to make meals more delicious, nutritious and sustainable!”
Basciani Foods is collaborating with the James Beard Foundation on the Blended Burger Project. The program motivates chefs across the country to replace a portion of meat protein with mushrooms and to create their own delicious and unique burgers for their menus.
“We continue to see strong increased interest in the nutritional aspects of mushrooms at the consumer level,” said Recchiuti. “Restaurants and other foodservice operators are embracing this blendability aspect stronger than ever, and the momentum is spreading rapidly.”
He added that in addition to the health benefits associated with substituting a portion of meat with mushrooms, the per-plate cost is reduced, which is an imperative factor for foodservice operators.
Michael Basciani boasts that Basciani Foods boasts does everything in the mushroom industry. It grows all sizes of white mushrooms as well as exotics. It packs for national retail grocery store chains as well as for foodservice distributors. From its processing and storage facilities in Chicago and Minneapolis, the company ships over a million pounds of mushrooms per week.
“Becoming number one is a goal, but not an obsession,” said Basciani. “Bigger isn’t always better. But if you constantly strive to be better, bigger just seems to follow.”
Third-generation Mario and Anna Basciani are also celebrating growth. The couple, who consider themselves “truly blessed,” now have an expanding family that includes 37 great grandchildren.
